To contribute to the overall success, the staff must learn how to be a good employee.
Some components of a business that makes a business successful are its abilities to deliver good customer service.
Also delivering good quality of goods and services and a good customer experience.
The responsibility of staff varies across businesses, companies, and organizations.
This means that a staff’s performance affects the success and the growth of the employer and organization.
Understanding that this responsibility is based on the employee’s performance, an employee must meet these expectations.
The ability of the staff to meet up to these affects how much staff would be viewed.
This which either be good or bad.
This article would be discussing or focusing on how an employee can be good.
We will start by defining who an employee and a good employee are.
We will also see what is expected of a good employee (duties and roles).
Then, we will review the advantages and disadvantages of being a good employee.
Also, we will consider how an employee can work towards being a good one amongst others.
Who is a Good Employee?
To identify a good employee, we must know who an employee is.
An employee is also known as a worker, member of staff, team member, or manager.
They are hired to render services or carry out tasks in exchange for wages or a salary.
Additionally, an employee works for an employer in exchange for an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or annual payment.
An employee could be full-time, part-time, rotational, probation, etc.
And they work for different individuals, companies, and institutions, etc.
Who then is a good employee?
A good employee is different from any other employee.
This is not because of the type of job they do or the employer they have.
But the approaches in which they carry out the work assigned to them.
A good employee understands the duties and roles assigned to him or her.
And ensures that the role is filled up and the duties are successfully executed.
Furthermore, they understand the goals their employer aims to achieve.
Therefore, they channel their creativity, experience, skill, and knowledge to ensure that the goal is achieved effectively and efficiently.
Good employees possess traits that differentiate them from other employees.
These traits are professionalism, integrity, honestly, creativity, punctuality, etc.
The Roles of a Good Employee
A good employee must be aware of his or her roles, responsibilities, and duties to the employer, organization, or company.
What are the roles of a good employee?
Some of these include;
Focus
One of the major duties of a good employee is to be focused on the goals and objectives of their employer.
Which could either be a business, organization, or company.
Every business, organization, or institution has a goal and objectives that drive its daily activities.
Obedience
A good employee is also expected to adhere to the laid down rules, policies, and values.
He or she should also understand the missions of the company or organization.
He or she must carry out the duties assigned by the instructions given by the employer.
Also, such a person would be seeking the employer’s permission before making any decision.
Motivation
A good worker/team member is expected to be motivated when doing the job or task assigned.
He or she is expected to give the best skills, knowledge, and experience in ensuring that the company or organization achieves its goals and success.
This too while rising above its competitors.
Motivation also means striving to make a difference, using intuition, and taking charge of the task or project assigned to them.
Collaboration and Cooperation
A good employee should contribute his or her skill or knowledge in helping the company achieve its goals.
Thereby increasing the company or organization’s worth and profit.
A Brand Representative
He/she must be a good representative of his or her organization or company.
They must not spread negative words or remarks about the business, company, organization, or institution.
This is to prevent ruining the brand’s image and reputation and prevent customer churn or attrition cases.
Advantages of Being a Good Employee
Have you ever wondered what an employee stands to gain by being good and possessing all the required qualities and traits?
Well, you must know that being a good employee comes with several advantages that are beneficial to the business and the employees.
Some of these advantages include:
Increase in Productivity
One of the advantages of being a good employee is that it helps to increase your productivity.
An increase in productivity helps you achieve success in your goals and objectives as an employee and for your employer, organization, company, institution, business, etc.
Valuable Asset
A good employee becomes a valuable asset to the employer.
Being a valuable asset means providing quality goods, services, and ideas to the organization, business, institution, or company.
This results in the success and the growth of the company or organization and helps to increase the employee retention rate.
Growth
Being a good employee entails activities and skills that allow the employee to be productive and effective.
But it also helps the employee grow as a professional, expert, and individual by building confidence, honesty, work ethic, professionalism, creativity, innovation skills, and leadership skills.
Increased Employee Retention Rate
As we stated earlier, being a good employee helps to increase your employee retention rate from your employer.
Employee retention rate refers to the possibility or ability of an employer to retain an employee or employees over some time.
This is mostly due to their competence, performance, and productivity.
Opportunity for Promotion
A good employee stands the chance of being nominated for a bonus and promotion when the offer arises due to the employee’s performance, character, and dedication.
Disadvantages of not Being a Good Staff
When an employee does not possess the quality and traits of a good employee, such an employee would be regarded as a bad employee.
A bad employee has no advantages to the employer or himself/herself.
Here are some highlighted disadvantages of being a bad employee;
Lack of Productivity
An employee who is not focused, professional, ethical, lacks teamwork skills or dedication, integrity and generosity would not produce great results.
Also, he/she will not be able to deliver good customer service and experience, thereby hindering the ability of the company or organization to achieve success.
Low Employee Retention Rate
Being a bad employee reduces the ability of the business, company, and organization to retain such an employee due to the lack of productivity.
Meaning that the employee’s contract or job can be terminated at any time.
Lack of Growth
An employee who does not strive to become a good one would never accomplish his or her dreams and goals and that of the employer.
This is because of the lack of enthusiasm, creativity, dedication, and diligence to do the job.
Inability to Build Relationships
A bad employee would not build a relationship with customers, teammates, colleagues, or employers.
This is because of disputes, lack of professionalism, creativity, or integrity.
How to be A Good Employee- Traits and Qualities of a Good Employee
Now that we are well aware of the importance of being a good staff and the roles and responsibilities of a good staff, we must identify and highlight how one can become a good staff.
To be a good staff, you must possess certain traits and qualities.
These traits and qualities include;
Professionalism
One of the most important traits and qualities you must possess is professionalism.
Professionalism involves maintaining a required standard as well as the skills needed for you to do your job.
You must also obey the guidelines, policies, codes of conduct of the organization or institution that you work for.
Additionally, you must appear presentable and neat in the office at all times.
Creativity
Another essential quality one must possess to be a good staff is creativity.
Creativity means the ability to create or generate new ideas or things from already existing ones.
It also means creating alternative options or ideas to provide solutions and improve its products and services.
As well as solving problems that may arise at work.
Though everyone is not born with the skills or traits of creativity, for a staff who wants to be good at what you do, you must strive and learn to be creative.
Innovative
Innovation and creativity work hand in hand to help you become a good staff.
Innovation means introducing or creating new ideas and changes to preexisting ideas or things.
It could be by creating new products and services, ideas, means, and methods that answer customer’s needs and solves their problems.
Innovations positively affect or impact the staff and the organization, business, or institution they work for.
Also, by pushing yourself to do more by taking up projects and tasks when they arise, fueling your ideas, being open to learning, etc.
Enthusiasm
To be good at what you do, you must first love what you do.
This is why enthusiasm is pivotal to being a good staff.
Enthusiasm is the interest, eagerness, and excitement that you feel towards your job.
For staff to be good, he or she must always show up to work with a positive attitude and mindset.
As well as handling every task and project to achieve the goals set in their careers.
Staff can be enthusiastic at working by going beyond expectations, maintaining a positive attitude, and channeling a skill you love in your job.
Also, making changes to your working patterns, listening to feedback, having fun while working, etc.
Teamwork
A good staff possesses teamwork ability and skill.
This means the staff should collaborate and work with other employees or groups to achieve a task, project, goal, or objective effectively and efficiently.
Teamwork creates room for an employee to work with other experts in their field, as it makes room for projects or tasks to be done faster and better.
Staff can be a team player by being open-minded, assisting, and sharing ideas with team members.
Additionally, he/she must be adaptable, avoiding cliques and segregation, focusing on the goal, and appreciating team members.
Another important trait he should possess is putting personal feelings and dispute aside while being receptive to different work patterns and styles.
Then, communicating with team members, being accountable and respectful, etc.
Reliability
Reliability makes you a good employee.
What is reliability?
Reliability means to be dependable, trustworthy, and to perform well according to expectations or beyond expectations.
It is an essential quality that distinguishes a good employee from any other employee.
Reliability makes an employee a valuable asset to the organization, company, or institution that hired them.
An employee can be reliable by constantly performing well and producing quality results on tasks and assigned projects.
Generosity
A good employee is generous in the workplace.
Generosity means to freely share skills, knowledge, and experience with others to achieve a common goal.
A good employee does not look out for himself or herself; rather, a good employee ensures that those around him or her benefit from the knowledge that they possess.
An employee can be generous by giving teammates or colleagues time and attention and providing them with opportunities that make them better.
It also involves giving assistance and encouragement when and where necessary.
Also, sharing your skills, knowledge, and experience with your colleagues, etc.
Integrity and Honesty
Honesty and integrity set you on the path to being a good employee.
According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, integrity can be defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
It also means choosing to do the right, moral and ethical things daily, regardless of the situation with or without supervision.
It involves maintaining a high level of confidentiality, being honest about dealings or shortcomings, and coming to work early.
You also show you have integrity by doing the job or tasks assigned to you without passing them to others, avoiding taking credits for other people’s efforts, etc.
Good Communication Skills
A good communication skill spreads across written verbal, and interpersonal communication.
It involves listening, articulating words and sentences properly, writing properly and creatively without typographical or grammatical errors.
Additionally, it encompasses maintaining confidence and good body language, speaking in meetings, groups, the public, being friendly, maintaining a calm and positive tone of voice, showing empathy, etc.
Confidence
A good employee is one whose management believes in and can rely upon.
To be a good employee, you must show a level of trust, certainty, and belief in yourself, as well as your skills and abilities.
Not every employee is confident due to certain factors like timidity, shyness, low-self esteem, etc.
Also, preparing early and being organized, try making eye contact, practice till you are perfect, and ask for feedback and tips where necessary.
It is also important to ask questions, go beyond expectations, appear ready and confident by dressing right for the occasion.
Additionally, celebrating small wins and progress is great for building confidence.
Problem-Solving Skills and Abilities
A good employee must be analytical and possess problem-solving skills and abilities.
This means that he or she must be able to identify a problem when it arises and use logic in providing solutions to the problems.
Conclusion On How To Be A Good Employee
An employee is often described as a person who hires to work or carries out a task in exchange for a payment.
Though the definition is accurate, an employee who intends to be good at what he or she does to attain greater heights in the field or industry of expertise needs to do more.
He/she will not only see their roles as that of working for payment alone but an opportunity to be part of the company or organization’s missions and vision.
A good staff would also contribute his or her quota to the success and growth of the company or organization.
As well as viewing their jobs as a step towards achieving their career goals.
You can do this by improving your areas of weaknesses, handling tasks and projects with enthusiasm, diligence, and dedication.
A quote by Calvin Coolidge, a former American President and Lawyer, states that “all growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort and effort means hard work”.
This article is your first step towards becoming a better and valuable employee to your employer and yourself.
